The present invention relates to an agent for regulating the motional function of the gastrointestinal tract.
Metoclopramide, Domperidone and so on have been previously known as agents for regulating the motional function of the gastrointestinal tract, which ameliorate symptoms of the alimentary canal such as nausea, emesis, anorexia, abdominal flatulence, epigastric dysphoria, abdominal pain and pyrosis caused by chronic gastritis, gastroptosis and postgastrectomy syndrome and during administration of levodopa or anticancer drug (European Journal of Pharmacology, 91, 197-205 (1983) and Japan Journal of Pharmacology, 39, 123-130 (1985)).
As a result of our energetic investigations for providing a compound having an activity for regulating the motional function of the gastrointestinal tract, it was found that 4a-methyl-4,4a,9,10-tetrahydro-2(3H)-phenanthrenone derivatives which are known as intermediates in the synthesis of dehydroabietic acid derivatives have an excellent level of the above-described activity.